1 Maccabees 7

7In the one hundred and fifty-first year Demetrius the son of Seleucus came forth from Rome, and went up with a few men unto a city by the sea, and reigned there. And it came to pass, when he had formed the purpose of entering into the house of the kingdom of his fathers, that the soldiery laid hands on Antiochus and Lysias, to bring them unto him. And when the thing was made known to him, he said: ‘Show me not their faces.’ And the soldiery slew them. And Demetrius sat upon the throne of his kingdom. And there came unto him all the lawless and ungodly men of Israel; and Alcimus led them, desiring to be ⁽high⁽ priest. And they accused the people unto the king, saying: ‘Judas and his brethren have destroyed all thy Friends, and have scattered us from our land. Now therefore send a man whom thou trustest, and let him go and see all the havock which he hath made of us and of the king’s country, and let him punish them and all that helped them.’ And the king chose Bacchides, ⁽one⁽ of the king’s friends, who was ruler in the country beyond the river, and was a great man in the kingdom, and faithful to the king. And he sent him, and the ungodly Alcimus, and made sure to him the ⁽high-⁽ priesthood; and he commanded him to take vengeance upon the children of Israel.

And they removed, and came with a great host into the land of Judah; and he sent messengers to Judas and his brethren with words of peace, deceitfully. But they gave no heed to their words; for they saw that they were come with a great host. And there was gathered together unto Alcimus and Bacchides a company of scribes, to seek for justice. And the Chassidim were the first among the children of Israel that sought peace of them; for they said: ‘One that is a priest of the seed of Aaron is come with the forces, and he will do us no wrong. And he spake with them words of peace, and sware unto them, saying.: ‘We will seek the hurt neither of you nor of your friends.’ And they believed him; and he laid hands on threescore men of them, and slew them in one day, according to the words which ⁽the psalmist⁽ wrote:

The flesh of thy saints and their blood

They poured out around Jerusalem;

And there was no man to bury them.

And the fear and the dread of them fell upon all the people, for they said: ‘There is neither truth nor judgement in them; for they have broken the covenant and the oath which they sware.’ And Bacchides removed from Jerusalem, and encamped in Bezeth; and he sent and took many of the deserters that were with him, and certain of the people, and slew them, ⁽and cast them⁽ into the great pit. And he delivered the land to Alcimus, and left with him a force to aid him; and Bacchides went away unto the king.

And Alcimus strove for the high-priesthood. And there were gathered unto him all they that troubled their people, and they got the mastery of the land of Judah, and did great hurt in Israel. And Judas saw all the mischief that Alcimus and his company had wrought among the children of Israel, worse than ⁽that of⁽ the Gentiles; and he went out into all the coasts of Judaea round about, and took vengeance on the men that had deserted from him, and they were restrained from going forth into the country. But when Alcimus saw that Judas and his company waxed strong, and knew that he was not able to withstand them, he returned to the king, and brought evil accusations against them.

And the king sent Nicanor, one of his honourable princes, a man that hated Israel and was their enemy, and commanded him to destroy the people. And Nicanor came to Jerusalem with a great host; and he sent unto Judas and his brethren deceitfully with words of peace, saying: ‘Let there be no battle between me and you; I will come with a few men, that I may see your faces in peace.’ And hecame to Judas, and they saluted one another peaceably. But the enemies were ready to take away Judas by violence. And the thing became known to Judas, ⁽namely⁽ that he came unto him with deceit; and he was sore afraid of him, and would see his face no more. And ⁽when⁽ Nicanor knew that his purpose was discovered, he went out to meet Judas in battle beside Capharsalama; and there fell of those ⁽that were⁽ with Nicanor about five hundred men, and they fled into the city of David.

And after these things Nicanor went up to mount Sion; and there came some of the priests out of the sanctuary, and some of the elders of the people, to salute him peaceably, and to show him the whole burnt sacrifice that was being offered for the king; but he mocked them, and laughed at them, and polluted them, and spake haughtily, and sware in a rage, saying: ‘Unless Judas and his army be now delivered into my hands, it shall be that, if I come again in safety, I will burn up this house.’ And he went forth with great wrath. And the priests entered in, and stood before the altar and the temple, and wept and said: ‘Thou didst choose this house to be called by thy name, to be a house of prayer and supplication for thy people; take vengeance on this man and his army, and let them fall by the sword; remember their blasphemies, and suffer them not to live any longer.’

And Nicanor went forth from Jerusalem, and encamped in Bethhoron, and there met him the host of Syria. And Judas encamped in Adasa with three thousand men; and Judas prayed, and said: ‘When they that came from the king blasphemed, thine angel went out and smote among them one hundred and eighty-five thousand. Even so crush this army before us to-day; and let all the rest know that he hath spoken wickedly against thy sanctuary; and judge him according to his wickedness.’ And the armies joined battle on the thirteenth ⁽day⁽ of the month Adar; and Nicanor’s army was discomfited, and he himself was the first to fall in the battle. Now when his army saw that Nicanor was fallen, they cast away their arms, and fled. And they pursued after them a day’s journey from Adasa until thou comest to Gazara, and they sounded an alarm after them with the solemn trumpets. And they came forth out of all the villages of Judaea round about, and closed them in; and these turned back on those ⁽behind⁽, and they all fell by the sword, and there was not one of them left. And they took the spoils and the booty, and they smote off Nicanor’s head, and his right hand, which he stretched out so haughtily, and brought them, and hanged them up near Jerusalem. And the people was exceeding glad, and they kept that day as a day of great gladness. And they ordained that this day should be observed year by year ⁽on⁽ the thirteenth ⁽day⁽ of Adar. And the land of Judah had rest a little while.